Twentieth Judicial District - Boulder County Court Judge
Honorable Thomas J. B. Reed
Retention Year: 1996
Recommendation: Retain
The 20th Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Thomas J. B. Reed BE RETAINED.
Judge Reed was appointed to the Boulder County bench on June 6, 1985. He served with the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office from June, 1973 to September, 1977. In private practice, he represented clients in the areas of criminal law, juvenile law, tort and trial practice. Since his appointment to the County bench, he has acted as a District Judge on numerous occasions handling actions involving criminal, domestic and civil matters. His County Court docket has been concerned with about 40% civil matters and the balance divided among domestic, traffic and misdemeanor cases and felony complaints. He states that he enjoys variety in judicial assignments.
Among persons surveyed, one opined that Judge Reed’s “…people skills which were excellent when he was in private practice, are no longer evident…” suggesting that he dominated the courtroom. Others observed of Judge Reed: “bright, philosophical, well-grounded, practical, idealist, hard-working…a great judge…belongs in the higher court…and excellent judge…he does not always do what I want, but that is not his job…he is a tough sentence, although not a harsh one…we could use more like him…one of the best county judges I’ve seen…Tom Reed is one of the finest judges in the state.”
The survey groups rated Judge Reed highly: attorneys, 90.5% to retain, while law enforcement personnel gave the Judge positive ratings of 89.5% to 100%